Naruto of the Seven
by Black Phoenix 7777
Summary: Ten-year-old Naruto is taken away from a certain redhead Kiri shinobi. See how is his life as one of the Seven Swordsmen. Slight DMC crossover. Naruto/Mei, may add others. R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Well, here I am with a new story. The pairing is Naruto/Mei, but I'm thinking of adding one, two or all three of the following: Yugao, Konan and FemKyuubi. You can say your opinions in your reviews. Also, this will have slight elements of the Devil May Cry series. I might make it an actual crossover (much) later, but I'm not sure. Again, your opinions are welcomed.

**IMPORTANT!: **In this fic Naruto is two years older than the rest rookies and the age of graduation from the academy is fifteen.

**Disclaimer: I don't own** **Naruto or any of the Devil May Cry elements I will add.**

**Naruto of the Seven**

**Chapter 1: Breaking and Making Bonds**

It was 10th of October, exactly 10 years since Kyuubi attacked Konoha, and a very important meeting was taking place in the office of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage.

In front of him stood a very young woman, still a teenager, really. She had very long red hair and green eyes. On her back was strapped a claymore with a W-shaped guard. She was wearing a blue jonin vest, and a blue short skirt that allowed for freedom of movement. Her arms and feet were bare, with the exception of metal guards on her shins and lower arms. She was also wearing a Kiri headband.

"So, what can I do for you, young lady?" asked Sarutobi curious, though he had a very good idea as to what this was about. It was well known to the Kages of the other four great nations that Kiri was going through a civil war because of the Yondaime Mizukage's hatred for bloodlines.

"My name is Mei Terumi, Hokage-sama." introduced herself the young woman. "I'm the leader of the rebellion against the Yondaime Mizukage." she continued.

The Hokage looked at her surprised. "You are the leader of the rebellion? How old are you?" he asked incredulously.

Mei looked at him with battle-hardened eyes. "I'm eighteen years old. I'm also the strongest shinobi in our side and strongest member of the Seven Swordsmen before our disband. So I would prefer it if you didn't judge me according to my age, Hokage-sama." she replied.

Sarutobi studied her more closely. Her stance was that of a warrior who was always on guard. From her arms and feet, any experienced shinobi would be able to tell that she possessed great physical strength. She had more chakra than Jiraiya. And her eyes were eyes that had seen many deaths and taken many lives and knew that they would see a lot more death and take a lot more lives before the end. They were eyes that had seen war. All in all, Sarutobi could honestly say that only twice before in his life had he seen people with as much potential. Minato Namikaze and his son Naruto. Sarutobi would pay much to have her under his service.

He gave a slight bow to Mei. "Please excuse me for that, Terumi-san. I promise I won't do so again. Now, is it safe to assume that you are here to ask for Konoha's assistance in your struggles?" he asked.

Mei nodded. "Indeed."

Sarutobi leaned back to think. "What would Konoha earn if we helped you?" he asked.

"An alliance with Kiri when the war is over. Any of the shinobi artifacts we posses, except the swords. And, after the village is back on its legs, we are willing to pay you up to two million ryo." she answered.

Sarutobi thought about it long and hard. Trough be told, he really wanted to help her. In the end, however, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Terumi-san. However, Kiri will be very weak by the end of the war and it will take years for it to recover enough to be a useful ally. It will take even longer to gather the money you promised. And we both know that the only shinobi artifacts of real value that Kiri posses are the swords. I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to risk the lives of my shinobi under these terms. Especially since the Mizukage is the host of the Sanbi. And our own host is still ten years old with no training."

Anger flashed in Mei's eyes. "I see. So it would seem that the much vaunted willingness of Konoha to fight for a good cause is nothing more than words. Or is it that you would prefer the bloodline users of Kiri to die so that you would strengthen your own position?" she spat out.

She turned around and left, kicking the door out of its hinges instead of opening it.

The Hokage waved his hand to prevent his ANBU from acting against her. He knew that if they did, they would die before they knew what hit them.

He sighed. He looked towards the portraits of the past Hokages and it seemed to him that Minato was scowling to him. He knew that if he was there, he would shove a rasengan up his ass for what he did. He briefly wondered what his unofficial grandson, Naruto, would say if he saw what he did today. He knew that his words would be very similar to what Mei said, and that made him that much sadder. "I'm really getting too old for this." he murmured to himself.

He thought about Mei. He knew he would see her again, and she would be Mizukage when that happened. She would succeed in her rebellion, Sarutobi knew that. Her eyes told him so. She would do whatever it took to succeed. She proved it by coming to him for help. For one of the Seven to shallow her pride and do such a thing… Still, Sarutobi couldn't help but wonder if they next time he saw her would be at the negotiation table, or the battlefield, trying to kill him.

Mei was walking towards the exit of the village, still fuming. She stopped however when she saw a very strange sight. A mob of grown men and women, even some shinobi, that were hunting a small boy. It was obvious that they were aiming to kill him.

She narrowed her eyes. The sight reminded her too much of the bloodline purges, and she didn't like it one bit. She vanished from where she was standing and reappeared in front of the boy. She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. She looked at him. He had wild blond hair, bright blue eyes and three whisker marks on each cheek. All in all, in Mei's opinion, he would look pretty cute if he didn't have that look on his face. It was a strange look. Part fear and part…defiance?

Mei liked that look. It showed that the boy had guts. He didn't talk to him, but instead got between him and the approaching mob, effectively making it stop. "What do you people thing you are doing? What has this boy done to you?" she asked them, her voice promising untold amounts of pain.

One of the few shinobi in the mob answered her. "I don't know what a Kiri shinobi is doing here, but you shouldn't protect him. He is not a kid. He is a demon who is here to kill us all."

Mei looked back at the boy. He looked to be around ten years old. The Hokage had told her that Konoha's host was ten years old. It was rather obvious what the kid was. She turned back to the mob. "Get the hell out of here. If what I suspect is right, the kid is protecting you every day of his life." Inside her however, she really hoped that they wouldn't listen to her. She really needed someone to vent on, and those morons would do just fine.

Then one of them told the only thing that could make their position worse. "Forget that. Let's just kill the demon and then have some fun with this bitch." All the men agreed loudly.

Then they were all brought to their knees, courtesy of the ridiculous amount of KI that Mei was releasing. She disappeared. Half a second later, the people in the mob started to die, some from broken necks, some with various limbs removed, usually their heads, and others with deep gashes appearing on their chests.

The strongest shinobi in the mob was mid chunin level. That meant that it was as easy for Mei to kill them as crushing an ant with her boot. Ten seconds later, Mei was standing amongst twenty-eight corpses. She flicked her sword to clear it from the blood, and then disappeared again. A second later, an ANBU with a bird mask and an ANBU with a blank mask that were watching the scene were beheaded.

Mei reappeared in front of Naruto. She looked at him. She was expecting he would be afraid of her, and maybe disgusted with her for what she did. She wasn't expecting to see a thankful look in his face, mixed with healthy doses of fascination and admiration.

'_A ten-year-old really shouldn't look like that after witnessing such a sight.' _she thought idly. Still, that gave her an idea.

"Thanks a lot, miss." said Naruto, his voice full of gratitude.

"Name's Mei Terumi kid. What's yours?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Nice to meet you Naruto. Now, do you know a place where we can talk with no one watching or hearing us? I need to tell you something I think you would like to know. I also have a proposition for you." said Mei.

Naruto though about it for a few seconds. "I know such a place, but it is pretty far from here." he answered.

"Where is it? I can take us there quite fast." she replied.

Naruto just pointed towards the faces of the Hokages carved on the nearby mountain. Mei nodded, put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, noticing that he had to fight the reflex of pulling back, and then shunshined them both at the top of the Yondaime's head.

When they arrived, she immediately let go of him and then sat down motioning for him to do the same. "Now, Naruto, tell me, what do you know about the Bijuu?" she asked.

Naruto thought about it. "Well, I know that they are nine evil demons of great power that cause great destruction wherever they go. I also know that the strongest of them, Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha ten years ago but was killed by the Yondaime Hokage, who also died fighting it. That's all I know." he answered.

Mei nodded. "More or less you are right. What you don't know is that the Bijuu are almost always imprisoned within humans. These humans are the greatest military asset of their respective village. Unfortunately, most people can't see that, or that the hosts protect them from the Bijuu and abuse them or even try to kill them. Something else that I'm sure that you don't know is that the Bijuu are always sealed within newborn babies. Can you understand what I'm trying to say, Naruto?"

Naruto paled. Contrary to popular belief, he was no idiot. He understood fine. Kyuubi attacked exactly ten years ago. He was exactly ten years old. Bijuu were always sealed in newborns. Two plus two equals four. Then his eyes narrowed. "So I have Kyuubi sealed inside me. And Oji-san never told me. What's more, I protect them and am supposed to fight for them, and yet they try to kill me." He locked eyes with Mei. "What is your proposition, Mei-san?" he asked her.

Mei smiled to herself. It would seem that the boy was smarter than he looked. Mei could tell that he already suspected what she would offer.

"Before I tell you that, I have to tell you a few things about the current situation in Kiri. Please don't interrupt me until I'm done." she waited for his nod of agreement, before continuing.

"The first thing you must know is that the current Mizukage, Yagura, is the host of the Sanbi. He was the son of the previous Mizukage and, thanks to the power of the Sanbi, he became Mizukage at a very young age. During the first years of his reign, he proved himself a very capable and just Kage, and everyone loved him. However, it would seem that there was something rotten inside him, waiting to be unleashed, because eventually he proved himself a demon worse than the one he kept inside him. You see, at some point he decided that bloodlines, which are special abilities coming from one's ancestors by the way, are evil, and decided to purge them. He started to hunt everyone who possessed a bloodline down, killing many of them. Many of Kiri's shinobi and villagers agreed with him. As a result, people with bloodlines, like me, and those that disagreed with the Mizukage's view on things formed a rebellion, aiming to overthrow Yagura. I'm the leader of that rebellion. I came to Konoha in order to ask for the Hokage's assistance but…" her face darkened "…he declined."

She then told him of her meeting with the Hokage and what happened there. Which pissed Naruto off. Sarutobi always told him that a shinobi has to fight for his comrades and what he believes is right. Naruto believed that Mei was right, that Yagura had to be overthrown, and he knew Sarutobi well enough to know that he believed the same. And yet he declined her his help. If nothing else, he could have offered to let volunteers go to the rebellion's aid, but he didn't do even that. Never before in his life had Naruto been so disappointed with someone as he was now.

Then Mei started to talk again and he turned his attention back to her. "Now, Naruto, for my proposition. I would like you to come with me to Kiri." She lifted her hand to stop him from speaking. "Hear me out first. First of all, let me tell you what I offer you. Then I'll tell you why I'm offering this, which, I'm sure, is what you want to ask. Now, if you agree to come with me, I'll make you my apprentice and train you both in the shinobi arts and in the way of the sword. In fact, we have a sword that would be perfect for you, since it's demonic and normal humans are unable to wield it. When we win the war, you will become a full fledged Kiri shinobi. Now, as for the why… I won't deny that the fact that you are Kyuubi's host played some role to my decision. I would really like to have this power at my side. However, while I'll teach you how to utilize Kyuubi's power, whether or not you will do so is up to you. Also, they way they treat you here is downright horrible. In case you are wondering, I didn't know you contained Kyuubi when I came to your help, I figured it out from what the Hokage told me and what the bastards that where hunting you said. I won't pretend that everyone in Kiri will accept you if or when they find out. However, the shinobi at least will respect you, because you will have fought by their side. And be rest assured that nobody will try to do what the people here are doing."

Naruto thought about it. The minutes trickled by as he weighted his options, and soon enough half an hour had passed. As the time passed, Mei was becoming restless. It was only a matter of time until someone found out the people she had killed, in spite of how late it was. Even so, she sat and waited patiently, knowing that she shouldn't disrupt Naruto right now. Eventually, Naruto ended his contemplations, looked Mei in the eyes, and simply stated. "I'll come with you."

Mei's smile almost split her ace in two, but then it disappeared as she thought of something else. "Naruto…" she began hesitantly "…you know that by following me you are entering a war and will have to kill, don't you?"

Naruto nodded. Then he looked down and, with a voice so low that even Mei's trained ears almost missed it, whispered "I've killed before."

Mei froze. She wasn't expecting that. Of course, it would make things easier in the long run, but she couldn't feel glad about it, not with Naruto looking like that.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" she asked softly.

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded. "It was a little more than a year ago. One night, while I was heading to my home, I stumbled on a drunk man. He didn't even wait for me to say anything. He just punched me on the head and then threw me inside a nearby alley and then kept on beating me. Eventually, he threw me on some broken glasses. He then pulled out a knife, brought his face close to mine and told me that he would kill me. I…I just grabbed one of the glass shards and hit him at the side of the head with it. He died instantly."

Mei put a finger under his chin and gently lifted his head so that she could look him in the eyes. "You know that you didn't do anything wrong, don't you?" she asked.

"Y…yes, I do." he answered.

Mei smiled. "Good. Never hesitate to kill someone that threatens you or those precious to you. And don't feel bad for killing them. That's your first lesson." Then she stood up and extended her right hand towards him. "Now come on, Naruto. Let's go."

Naruto smiled and took her hand. She lifted him up. "Thanks, Mei." he whispered. She just smiled, though inwardly she was thinking something else. _'I wonder if you will be thanking me when you realize what I'm getting you into.'_

It took them little more than ten minutes to get out of the village with no one seeing them, and Mei had to knock a guard unconscious, which meant that they had to hurry. One they put some distance between them and Konoha, Naruto turned around and looked at Konoha for a couple of minutes, wondering what would happen if he had decided to stay. If he could become a shinobi. If he could make everyone respect him. If he could become Hokage. He shook his head to send these thoughts away. He had made his decision and would stick with it. Lastly, he thought of Sarutobi, his Oji-san that was always by his side, even if he didn't tell him about Kyuubi or his parents. "Goodbye and thanks for everything… Hokage-sama." he whispered, a single tear falling from his eye.

Mei didn't say anything, but she was secretly glad about what Naruto said. It meant that he had cut his last and most important bond with Konoha willingly. Even so, there was a small part of her that felt guilt for taking this from Sarutobi, even if he decided not to help her.

Then Naruto turned around, and he was smiling. "Well, let's get going Mei-sensei."

Mei laughed. "Yeah, let's go, Naruto."

As they resumed walking, Naruto felt a sense of renewal. With every step he was taking, he could feel his old self dropping from him like old skin. He couldn't tell right then, but that was the moment the old Naruto died, and a new Naruto was born. One much different than the old one.

At the same time, in Sarutobi's house, a picture of himself and Naruto that he had over the fireplace fell and somehow landed inside the fire. Sarutobi saw it and rushed to take it out. By the time he did it, the half that was showing Naruto was completely burned. Sarutobi was sad about it, but decided to take a new one tomorrow, and ignored the small voice in the back of his head that was telling him that this was a bad sign.

Back with Naruto and Mei, Naruto decided to break the silence. "Well, Mei-sensei, I guess now I have to save your life twice, huh?" he joked, as they were walking.

Mei looked at him curiously. "Well, one is for repaying me for saving you tonight. What's the second time for?"

"But, sensei, men are supposed to save women, not the other way around." he said, trying to make a serious face.

Mei smacked him on the head. "Hey, what was that for?" Whined Naruto, rubbing the place he was hit.

Mei smirked. "One, for believing that men are stronger than women and two, for believing that you can save me. I'm a lot stronger than you and, if anything, it will be me that will be saving you. You are a hundred years to early to save me."

"We will see sensei, we will see." replied Naruto, and both moved on, laughing.

For the first time in almost everyone's memory, thick mist covered Konoha.


	2. Chapter 2: Recruiting

**A/N: ** I've decided on the pairing. It will be Naruto/Mei/Kyuubi/OC, mainly focusing on Naruto/Mei. Yugao can't be in since she is a Konoha ANBU. It was stupid of me to think I could add her in the first place. As for Konan… I have other plans for her. Also, this chapter starts with a ralther large time skip. Before you star coming after me with torches and pitchforks, let me say that later on there will be at least five chapters that will be one big flashback, descibing these seven years.

**Chapter 2**

**Recruiting**

**Seven years later, Wave Country**

Hatake Kakashi, jonin of Konoha, looked at his opponent, Zabuza Momochi, A-rank missing nin of Kiri and former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. It was one of the most difficult battles Kakashi had ever had, especially considering that he was sorely out of practice, but eventually he prevailed. Right now Zabuza was being kept immobile by Kakashi's dog summons, waiting for his death.

Deciding to honour Zabuza for fighting so well, Kakashi prepared to use his only original technique. _'I have to hurry. I don't think Sasuke and Sai can hold on for much longer.' _thought Kakashi while he was going through three handsigns. The people he was thinking about were Sasuke Uchiha and Sai, two of his three genin students, who were currently having their asses handed to them by Zabuza's apprentice, Haku, who had a bloodline that allowed her to use the ice sub-element.

Kakashi's third student, Haruno Sakura, was supposedly protecting the client, the bridge builder Tazuna, but all she was doing was cheering for Sasuke. To be more exact, she was screeching various versions of "Go on Sasuke-kun, kick the ugly bitch's ass so we can go on a date.", which were making Tazuna wish to die.

Kakashi finished his handsigns and braced his right hand with his left one. Lighting chakra started to gather around his hand. There was so much of it that it was visible, something very rarely seen.

Kakashi glared at Zabuza with his implanted Sharingan eye. "This is one jutsu you will never see again, Zabuza. **Raikiri**, my only original technique. You future is death, Demon of the Mist."

However, just as Zabuza was ready to give a taunting response, a new voice was heard from the mist. "My, my, I see you have a sense for dramatics, Sharingan no Kakashi." The voice was male, its tone mocking. And even with the mist dispersing, they couldn't tell from where it was coming.

'_Strange. I have the feeling I've heard that voice before.'_ thought Kakashi.

Then they heard steps. Both of then turned towards them. They were coming from their side, one of the few places of the bridge that was still covered in mist.

They could see a person approaching from within the mist. His feet became visible first. He was wearing blue boots and pants, as well as a cloak that was blue on the outside and deep red on the inside. Then his arms. With his left arm he was carrying an O-katana. Its sheath was black and had a long blue piece of cloth tied near the top. Then his chest became visible. He was wearing a shirt the same shade of blue as his pants and cloak, and at the center of his chest was a pendant. It was a huge ruby-like stone in gold casing. Then his face became visible, and Kakashi gasped, and took a few steps back in shock, thinking he just saw a ghost.

Wild blond hair, bright blue eyes, and three whisker marks on each cheek. Kakashi knew very well who this young man was.

Zabuza, on the other hand, was more concerned with the Kiri headband he was wearing proudly on his forehead.

"Who are you?" growled Zabuza.

"Oh, excuse me, where are my manners?" he gave a mocking bow. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, apprentice of the Mizukage and member of the Seven Swordsmen. I'm here with a mission concerning you, Zabuza-san." he answered. His voice was playful, his eyes mocking. It was as if he was mocking them and daring them to find out how he did it.

Zabuza scoffed. "So, that bastard Yagura finally found me?"

He wasn't expecting the reply. Naruto started laughing. He laughed so hard that he doubled over. Eventually he managed to control himself. "Man, you really have no idea, do you? Where have you been living, inside a cave? The civil war ended two years ago. I'm here on behalf of the _Godaime_ Mizukage. Mei Terumi."

Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. If this news were true, they were the best he'd ever heard. But he wasn't so desperate as to believe it without proof. "Can you prove that she sent you?" he asked.

Naruto put a finger on his chin and look upwards mockingly, pretending to think. "Hmm, let me see, proof, proof… I guess her exact words will be proof enough." He looked back at Zabuza. "Her exact words were 'I really want my favourite punching bag back' ." said Naruto.

Everyone sweatdropped, but Zabuza nodded. "Yep, that's Mei alright."

Haku, who was leaning outside one of her mirrors to watch the conversation, certain that neither of the two trapped boys could do anything, decided to intervene then. "But, Zabuza-sama, it might be a trap. Yagura might have captured this Mei person and tort…"

"Shut up Haku!" interrupted Zabuza harshly. "I know no person that could capture Mei, and even if someone somehow managed to do it, there is no torture that would make her talk." he continued. He hadn't missed the slight flash of anger that went through Naruto's eyes, and knew what it meant. Kakashi knew too. _'Was he really going to kill the girl just for saying something like this?'_ he wondered.

Zabuza turned back to Naruto. "But tell me, why should I follow you? The life of a missing nin is rather exciting in its own way, and I can't say that the idea of becoming her punching bag again sounds appealing."

Naruto looked at him with dead serious eyes. "That is your choice, Zabuza-san. However, in that case I have the orders to kill you and everyone with you and take your head and sword back to Kiri."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "So, this is why you waited until now to intervene. So that both Kakashi and I would be weakened.

Naruto didn't try to deny it. "Indeed. While both of you could kick my ass six ways from Sunday under normal circumstances, right now neither of you are a match for me. Then again, even if you were at full power, I would be able to defeat you, but I would have to resort to measures I would rather not to."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about, brat?" he demanded.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "It would seem that either Hatake-san did a real number on you or that you are getting old. Otherwise you would have already seen my sword for what it is." Naruto used his thumb to push the first half inch of his blade outside the sheath.

Zabuza turned all his concentration on the O-katana. He suddenly paled and, despite the dogs holding him down, took a half-step back. "It can't be…" he whispered.

Naruto's eyes shone with amusement. "Can't it?" His right hand moved in a blur, drawing his sword and slashing towards a mirror next to Haku and then immediately towards the scroll Kakashi used to summon his dogs. He then twirled the blade around, holding it in a reverse grip, and started to sheath it. He stopped when only the last half inch of the blade was left unsheathed, smirked, and sheathed the rest of the blade. A slight _click_ was heard. The mirror was cut in two. The dogs disappeared as the same happened to the scroll.

Kakashi's eyes widened. _'How did this happen? He didn't use wind chakra, heck, he didn't even use regular chakra. It was as if the mirror and the scroll were simply in the range of his sword.'_

While Kakashi was trying to pick his jaw from the ground, Sasuke and Sai, not knowing what happened, immediately jumped outside of the ice dome. Haku, not seeing a reason to keep wasting chakra, dissolved the rest of the mirrors and went next to Zabuza.

Sasuke, who had awakened his Sharingan a few minutes ago, and Sai were about to attack Haku again, when Kakashi signaled them to stop and come by his side, which they did. Sakura and Tazuna came closer, though not much. Everyone was looking at Naruto, who was looking at Zabuza.

"So, Zabuza-san, what is your decision?" he asked. The look in his eyes made everyone but Sakura and Tazuna, who couldn't understand it, suppress a shiver. Naruto's eyes were almost begging Zabuza to decline. So that he could kill him.

Zabuza himself was sorely tempted to refuse the offer so that he could fight Naruto in a fight to the death. However, there was Haku too and, although he would never admit it out loud, Zabuza cared for her as if she was his own daughter. After thinking for a couple of minutes, Zabuza reached his decision. "I…agree. I'll rejoin Kiri."

In an instant, Naruto's eyes changed. Now he was looking at Zabuza the way one would look at a trusted comrade he hadn't seen for years. Naruto extended his hand to Zabuza. "Welcome back, Demon of the Mist."

Zabuza shook it without a moment's hesitation. "Well met, kid."

Before anything more could be said, they all heard steps from the unfinished side of the bridge. They turned, only to see Gato with about one hundred thugs behind him. The corrupt businessman glared at Zabuza. "Well, it would seem that you are more of a useless puppy than a demon, Zabuza. Surrendering like that. Well, it doesn't matter. You would die anyw…"

He was interrupted by a very disturbing laugh. It was Naruto who had thrown his head back and was laughing like a madman. Zabuza, Haku and the Konoha shinobi looked at him full of worry. What was happening now?

Naruto lowered his head and looked at Gato, a maniacal gleam in his eyes and a crazy smile on his face. He started to move towards Gato. "Well, well, how considerate of you Gato, coming here to me and saving me the trouble of coming to find you. It almost makes me want to leave you alive. Almost." As he was talking, Naruto's face calmed down, but his voice got colder and colder, and full of death. He also started to release KI that could easily match what Kakashi and Zabuza were producing during their battle. However, there was something different about it, something malevolent, something…inhuman.

Kakashi, the only one who knew what Naruto contained, and Zabuza, who suspected, looked on, the first with worry and the second with fascination.

'_Damn it, he is channeling the Kyuubi's KI. If he loses control, all of us might die.' _thought Kakashi.

'_Finally, show me what you and that demonic blade of yours can do kid. I wonder which one of the nine you have though. Wait a minute, judging from Kakashi's reaction, he knows who the kid is. That means he is probably from Konoha. And if that's true, then it means that he has… oh boy, this is going to be good.' thought Zabuza. _

Haku and the genin meanwhile were scared shitless since they haven't felt anything like that before. Gato was on the same boat, but he tried to persuade himself that he had the advantage there. It took some extra time to persuade his bladder though.

"Hey, kid, Naruto was it? Do you also have a mission to kill this pathetic excuse of a human?" asked Zabuza.

Naruto didn't even turn around. "No, not really. This is personal."

"What do you mean? I've never seen you before in my life." said Gato, trying not to stutter and failing miserably.

Red chakra exploded around Naruto, cracking the stone under his feet, as he couldn't keep his anger in check any longer.

"Oh, I know you haven't seen me before, but I have seen you. Let me refresh you memory. Do you remember four years ago, when you had a meeting with Yagura and his generals? Do remember what else other than money you asked in exchange for providing them with supplies?" asked Naruto, his voice raising with every syllable.

"I…I'm afraid I can't…" stuttered Gato, who knew very well what Naruto was talking about and understood he was screwed. And not in a good way.

Even more chakra flowed out of Naruto now, actually forming a crater under his feet, as he lost the last shreds of self-control he still had. "OH, SO YOU CAN'T REMEMBER! LET ME REFRESH YOUR MEMORY THEN! YOUR EXACT WORDS WERE: 'IF YOU MANAGE TO CAPTURE THAT REDHEADED BITCH THAT IS LEADING THIS BUNCH OF MISCREANTS, I WANT TO HAVE HER FOR A FEW NIGHTS BEFORE YOU EXECUTE HER.' " shouted Naruto at the top of his lungs.

Zabuza actually had to restrain himself from going over there and cutting Gato to ribbons. Insulting Mei, their leader, in front of anyone of the true Swordsmen of the Mist was equivalent to a death sentence. Not to mention he really wanted to pay the scumbag back for this betrayal. He stayed where he was however. He knew that Naruto wouldn't let anyone get between him and Gato.

Naruto abruptly calmed down, the red chakra raging around him receding back into his body. When he spoke again however, his voice was cold, devoid of any emotion other than unbridled rage. This was actually scarier than his KI. "You are lucky, Gato. Fortunately for you, I lack the patience and self-control to properly deal with you. So I'll have to settle with cutting you to ribbons." Hearing him, Gato finally lost control of his bladder and peed himself.

"W…wait. Don't do anything you will regret. You really don't want to kill me." tried Gato.

Naruto lifted an eyebrow. "And why is that? Because of the two thugs you sent to kidnap Tazuna-san's family? They died before they got anywhere near his house. Because you will pay me? By now my two teammates probably have finished stripping your mansion bare of anything valuable. Now, do me a favour and shut up. Corpses aren't supposed to speak after all."

What happened next caused Kakashi and Zabuza to have the same hilarious reaction. Their eyes almost popped out of their sockets and their jaws hit the ground. But they had good reason. The others, even Sasuke who still had his Sharingan activated, and Haku, who had the most experience other than the two jonin, completely missed it.

One second Naruto was standing twenty meters away from Gato, the next he was standing right behind him, his right hand extended, holding his sword. The truly scary thing however, what would haunt even Sasuke's nightmares for months to come, was what happened afterwards. Naruto, completely ignoring the thug that was standing little more than ten centimeters in front of him, started to sheath his sword. Once the _click_ that signified that he had done it was heard, Gato exploded in a thousand bloody pieces. Just as Naruto had said, he had cut him to ribbons. It would be impossible for anyone that hadn't witnessed the scene to say that the pile of blood and shredded flesh and bone once belonged to a human.

Naruto calmly turned around and started to walk towards the other shinobi. He stopped midway, when he was exactly in the middle of the distance between them and the thugs, who were currently trying to decide what to do. He turned to Zabuza and Kakashi and, ignoring Tazuna, the genin and even Haku who were emptying their stomachs, asked. "Did the two of you saw my movements?" And that did it. He had officially scared the living crap out of everyone, save Zabuza who was simply shocked. And maybe creeped out. Not much, just a little. No, really. Naruto was like nothing had happened. His voice had once again that playful tone in it and his eyes the same mocking look.

They shook their shock away and nodded affirmatively. Naruto scowled. "Just great. She was right again. This is getting annoying." he saw the questioning look the two had and elaborated. "Mei. She is always hounding me to get faster."

Both jonin had a WTF look on their faces. "Err, Naruto, you DO know that you are as fast, if not faster than either of us right?" asked Kakashi tentatively.

Naruto just shrugged. "Go and tell that to her. On second thought, don't. She would probably kill you. Now, Zabuza, are you up for a little competition? Yamato still feels a little thirsty." he asked.

Zabuza smirked, shouldered his sword, and moved next to Naruto, who also drew his sword. "Sure am kid. The usual rules?" asked Zabuza.

"Yep. You ready?" asked Naruto.

"Always."

"Well, in that case…" both of them turned towards the thugs. "…LET'S ROCK!" shouted Naruto, running towards the thugs, Zabuza following.

The thugs would have run away, but that choice was taken from them courtesy of Haku who blocked their path with her ice mirrors. Their only choice was to stand and fight, and that choice was already doomed.

While that was happening, Kakashi covered his Sharingan eye and than turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, turn off your Sharingan."

"But, Kakashi…" started Sasuke. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "NOW, Sasuke, otherwise I'll send you to court martial for insubordination." threatened Kakashi. Sasuke grumbled but did as he was told. _'Yamato… Strange, most of the swords of the Seven are well known, but it's the first time I hear of this one.' _With this thought, Kakashi turned his attention back to what he knew was going to be a massacre.

He was right. Naruto and Zabuza cut through the thugs like hot knife through butter. Zabuza was waving his big ass sword around, cackling like a madman and killing everyone that got in his way, by either decapitation or cutting them in two. Though 'cutting' wasn't a correct term. It was more like his sword crushed everything in its way until it reached the other side of its victim.

Naruto, on the other hand, was far more graceful but not less deadly or ferocious. He was dancing and weaving around the thugs, his right hand wielding his sword, cutting everyone in two, though, unlike Zabuza's, his sword was really cutting. And it was cutting everything, even the weapons the thugs were holding, without losing any of its momentum. With his left hand he was still holding the sheath of his sword, using it like another sword to block any attacks heading his way and, every now and then, crush a skull or two.

Within seconds, only five were left. Naruto flicked his sword to clear it of any blood, quickly sheathed it, and then sent a burst of chakra to his legs, using it to rush forward, shouting "Mine!". Zabuza swore, but he was too slow to do anything. The next second Naruto was behind them, his sword extended. The thugs fell down, their torsos separated from their legs.

Naruto turned to Zabuza with a triumphant grin on his face. "That makes it fifty-two for me and forty-eight for you. I win. You're treating pizza when we reach Kiri."

Zabuza grumbled, muttering something about kids that were too fast for their own good. His mutterings were interrupted when two Kiri shinobi appeared in front of Naruto.

One was a young man around Naruto's age. He had short blue hair and dark eyes. He wore square, black-rimmed glasses connected to what appear to be headphones, a blue striped shirt and camouflage pattern pants. His headband was strapped on his chest. He was carrying a huge ass sword that could give Zabuza's sword a run for its money. It had the shape of a dish and was completely covered with bandages. He had a very shy look on his face.

The other one was a young woman, around twenty years old. She had short blue hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt that was a few sizes too small, revealing her waist and accentuating her chest, as well as a blue miniskirt. Her hands and legs were covered by fishnet and she had metal guards on her shins and arms. She was also wearing standard shinobi sandals. All in all, she was a very beautiful woman. And not only she knew it, she also took advantage of it, as was obvious by her clothing. She herself had two ninjatos strapped on her back.

"Chojuro, Miria, report." ordered Naruto.

"We looted Gato's mansion as you ordered, Naruto. It seems he was richer than we thought. Much richer. We found forty million ryo in cash alone. That is without counting the various jewels, gold ingots, works of art and land deeds. We have everything sealed in scrolls. We also found proof of many illegal activities, like drug and slave trading." said Miria. Her voice had a melodic quality in it and she somehow managed to make a report sound seductive, which made all the men present, except Naruto who was used to her, feel their pants tighten. They all tried to check her out as discreetly as possible.

In Zabuza's case, that didn't say much since he was standing in front of her and was ogling her chest. Which earned him a smack at the back of the head with Yamato's sheath.

"Ouch! What was that for?" said an angry Zabuza.

"Because her eyes are higher than were you are looking." answered Naruto. Then he used Yamato to smack Miria at the top of the head.

"Hey, what did I do?" whined Miria cutely, rubbing her head.

Naruto glared at her. "How many times have I told you to dress more modestly? As if he isn't in a bad enough state already." he added pointing at Chojuro. "Have you counted how many times he has looked directly at you ever since we formed out team? They can be counted in one hand!" he continued.

Indeed, Chojuro was looking at the opposite direction, pressing his index fingers together and had a face so red that he looked like he would explode.

'_Is he a relative of the Hyuuga girl in Kurenai's team?' _wondered Kakashi.

'_Wow, he is a male version of Hinata.' _thought the banshee.

'_Hmph, what a loser.' _thought the bastard.

'_I must report to Danzo-sama that the Kyuubi jiinchuriki is found.' _thoughtthe robot.

'_He he. He is cute.' _thought Haku, suppressing a giggle.

Miria pouted. "The Mizukage is as bad as me, if not worse, but I've never heard you reprimand her."

Naruto looked at her as if she was an idiot. "Of course not. It just so happens that I'm quite attached to both my life and my manhood. I would prefer not to lose either of them."

"No, we wouldn't want that to happen." agreed Miria, taking a step closer to him and moving her eyes up and down his body, stopping at his crotch for a few seconds.

Naruto sighed. "Behave Miria, otherwise I'll report this to the Mizukage." he said.

Miria paled slightly and stepped back, laughing nervously. "No need for that, I'll stop now." she said while sweating bullets.

Naruto looked at her for a couple of seconds before nodding. Miria sighed in relief and started to breath easier.

This made the genin, Haku and Kakashi lift an eyebrow, wondering if this Terumi person was really that scary.

Zabuza tried and failed to suppress a shiver after remembering the terror that was a pissed of Mei.

Naruto started to walk towards Tazuna. "Now that the unimportant things are over, time to deal with the important part of the mission." he muttered to himself, though everyone heard him.

He didn't make more than five steps however before he was drenched from head to toes with a Suiton jutsu, courtesy of Miria.

He slowly turned around. He took one step towards Miria. Everyone was silent, watching and holding their breaths. Naruto took another step. Then another.

Miris started to back off, frantically waving her hands in front of her. "Now, don't get mad Naruto-kun, I only did it to clean you. You were covered in blood, and it was the blood of these bastards to boot." said Miria frantically, trying to save herself from Naruto's retribution.

Naruto abruptly stopped and sighed. "Fine. But next time warn me first." He closed his eyes for a second and with a burst of red chakra all the water on him was evaporated. He quickly covered the rest of the distance between him and Miria, whacked her on the top of the head with Yamato's sheath, and resumed walking towards Tazuna.

He stopped in front of Tazuna and asked. "Tazuna-san, is there a person who is in charge of the Land of Waves? A mayor or something?"

"Well, before Gato arrived, I was the mayor of this town, and since there is no other settlement here except a couple of small villages…" answered Tazuna nervously, making sure to keep his tone polite, since he didn't want to get on the bad side of this man.

Naruto nodded. "In that case, I have a proposition for you from the Mizukage, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna looked at him full of curiosity. "And what proposition would that be, shinobi-san?" he asked intrigued.

"Please call me Naruto. As for the proposition, we would like you to allow Kiri ships use your harbor without paying taxes as well as make trading arrangements with Kiri. In return, we will pay Konoha's mission for you, give you twenty of the forty million ryo we took form Gato, and have Kiri shinobi permanently stationed here so that incidents like that won't happen again. If you agree with the terms, an ambassador from Kiri better versed than I in trading will arrive soon to iron out the details of the agreement." answered Naruto.

Tazuna took a few moments to gather his wits. It was an impressive offer no matter how you looked at it. He looked at Naruto suspiciously. "The Mizukage actually offered all this?"

"No." admitted Naruto. "I was simply tasked with ensuring that Kiri would get the trading alliance and the tax exclusion. What Kiri would offer in return was left to my discretion. Rest assured, if you agree you will receive what I promised you." he added.

Tazuna pretended to think for a few minutes, more for effect than any other reason. Both him and Naruto knew that he would agree.

While Tazuna was pretending to thing, Kakashi was doing some actual thinking of his own. _"A mayor he might be, but Tazuna clearly doesn't understand much about trading or politics. This deal is clearly in favour of Kiri, especially on the long run. Furthermore, by implying that he isn't well versed in trading, Naruto made Tazuna believe that he gets the better end of the deal. The Mizukage has taught Naruto well. She is probably grooming him to be her successor. Though why would anyone want to deal with all that paperwork is beyond me." _

Kakashi could honestly say that he was impressed with Naruto. He toyed with the idea of revealing this to Tazuna, but in doing so he might very well cause war between Konoha and Kiri. Not to mention that the Kiri shinobi would kill him and his students on principle.

His musings were interrupted by Tazuna, who decided they had waited enough. "Very well, I agree with your proposition. Will we receive the money now or later?" he asked.

Naruto took a thinking pose. "Well, if I've understood everything correctly, the Konoha shinobi are to stay here until you finish building your bridge. We will give you the money now and stay here until your guardians and the ambassador arrive to make sure no one will try to steal them. We will contact Kiri right away. They should be here by the time you finish the bridge." answered Naruto.

Hearing this, Miria bit her thumb and quickly went through the handsigns for the summoning jutsu, summoning a black crow twice the size of a normal one. She quickly wrote a message explaining the situation and asked the crow to deliver it to the Mizukage.

Naruto asked Tazuna if there was a place big enough to store all the money. He pointed an empty building nearby that was once used to store trading goods.

Naruto turned to the Kiri shinobi. "Miria, Chojuro, Haku, take the money there. You are on guard duty until we leave. Don't let anyone inside unless Tazuna or myself are with them." he barked. Miria and Chojuro left immediately, while Haku looked at Zabuza who nodded.

Naruto walked towards Zabuza, discussing something with him in hushed voices, before they left to do who knows what. As they left, Naruto glanced backwards to Kakashi for a second.

Kakashi sighed. They all needed rest today, but the next day would be, to quote the Nara men, very troublesome.

He didn't see the eagle made form ink that was flying towards Konoha, holding a message in its claws.

* * *

**And this is the second chapter. In the next chapter you will see the interaction between Naruto and the Konoha team (if you like Sasuke and Sakura you won't like it, I warn you) as well as learn a few more things about Naruto. You will also see what Danzo will do once he learns about Naruto. **


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